Something Unexpected
by FictionalFantasy
Summary: After the City of Brass fell and a near death experience causes Marlowe to reconsider her priorities, Talbot meanwhile struggles with his own emotions and the unbearable guilt of losing the City as well as the slightly imposing presence of Sully around his boss. And Nate? Well, he's the wise-cracking hero who just so happens to be caught in the middle of this.


**A/N: My first Uncharted fic, so be gentle! Now, as much as I LOVED Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, the ending was a slight disappointment for I personally thought that Marlowe and Talbot were killed off far too quickly. Their characters were so unique and were an interesting adaptation from previous antagonists but... we had no back story, no depth to their relationship and that's where this came from. I decided to re-write the ending so that both characters survive and we see a little bit more into their relationship. Artwork was used with permission from Del Borovic, which was drawn for Woman of Rohan's fanfics. You can see more of their work on the tallowe4lyfe blog on tumblr.**

**I hope you enjoy it and if you do, then I may just give you all some more Tallowe in the future!**

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The City of Brass began to collapse; Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan had just made a mad dash up a large, winding staircase that led into an open foyer where they were cornered by Katherine Marlowe and her partner in crime- Talbot. It appeared as if they were the only four who had made it so far and now they were at a stand-off.

However, things became even more complicated when the stone floor gave way and dropped Drake, Marlowe and Talbot all into quicksand. Drake and Talbot were lucky enough to climb back onto solid ground but Marlowe, however, was not so lucky. She was sinking fast in the centre of the quicksand and she felt as if her end was imminent. Her only hope was convincing Drake to help her, despite everything she put him through to get his ring and to gain access to the city.

"Nathan!" She called out his name as the young man attempted to scramble for Sullivan's hand. She felt herself sinking rapidly; she only had one shot at this. "Drake?! Are you worthy of the name?" She was a strategist, so if she played her cards right and used the ring to bargain her way out of this then she knew he would save her. She took the ring from around her neck and held it out. "Earn this, as Francis earned it." This was her last resort. Katherine Marlowe was pleading with her enemy, this was a damaging blow to her reputation but her life was more valuable than anything else.

Nate was contemplating what to do- should he save the woman who almost had him killed on several occasions or should he walk out right now? He still had flashbacks of his first encounter with her 20 years ago and just how much she threatened him back then but seeing her begging for her life made him feel as if he had to save her. He would just feel guilty otherwise.

"You can't just let her die!" Talbot called from across the hall. He couldn't lose Marlowe- she has been his mentor for many years and it is his duty to protect the boss but in this current moment, Talbot felt absolutely useless. He had to try and convince Nate to help her, seeing as they had no reason to pursue him now.

"Like hell he can't!" Victor argued against the Brit and he held his hand out to Nate again. He knew they didn't have much time left to waste. Sure, Victor was aiding Marlowe 20 years ago, coincidentally meeting Drake along the way, and sure they had a more 'intimate' relationship than most business associates but this isn't what Sully wanted to be any part of. Nate is like a son to him and he wanted to get him out of the city before it all collapsed around them.

Nate was still silently debating with himself while the argument ensued and he finally made a decision. He knelt down by the pool of quicksand and aided Marlowe in escaping. He pulled the blonde out of the sand and onto the sturdy stone floor. As she placed her feet down onto solid ground once again, Nate began to question whether he made the right decision or whether she was going to deceive him yet again. Marlowe is a manipulative woman and one most people would find difficult to trust.

"Oh thank you, Drake!" Marlowe exhaled a sigh of relief; her breathing was shallow as she attempted to catch her breath back after almost being suffocated by sand. The mature woman patted his shoulder gently, almost in a friendly sort of manner as she composed herself.

"Where's the ring?" Nate examined Marlowe's empty hand. Yes, he saved her but that didn't mean water was under the bridge just yet. The ring was very important and although it may not be his main priority, he still preferred to have it back in his possession.

Marlowe glanced over her shoulder back to the quicksand. "I couldn't keep hold of it while I was pulling myself out of the sand so unless you want to risk your own life to get it back, then I suggest we leave now." Marlowe's natural leadership and assertive persona began to take over once more. Now that her plan had quite literally fallen apart, all that was on her mind was escaping. She would find other things of interest to pursue in the safety of her manor back in London for she moonlights as quite the art collector.

"Marlowe!" Talbot's voice was barely heard over the falling rubble all around. He had grown concerned as to whether or not the others had realised he was still alive and now separated from the group.

"Talbot! Damn it..." He had been left on the other side of the room on his own and with the building crumbling away more and more by the second; they needed to leave as soon as they could. Talbot was looking around what was left of the room and it was as if Marlowe was reading his thoughts that very second "Don't attempt to climb it, you won't make it!" She turned her attention to Drake and Sully, expecting one of them to come up with a plan "We need to get him over here!"

"What makes you think we'll think of something? Frankly, I'm surprised Nate managed to get you out." Sully folded his arms, just wanting to skip the talking and escape already. He didn't want to waste any more time and he was, in all honesty, fed up of everything Marlowe has put him and Drake through but Sully's refusal was hardly going to stop her.

"You, you're rather fond of cheating death so come up with a way to get Talbot across safely." Marlowe pointed a finger towards Drake; her tone became sterner as she was slowly losing her patience. Katherine is the sort of woman who wants everything to go her way, Sully knew that very well, but she seemed much more desperate to save Talbot.

"No. Drake, get Marlowe out of here safely. I'll find another way out!" Talbot didn't want to be the one delaying the escape. If he could at least be sure that Marlowe made it out of the city safely then he would have done his job properly, even if that meant laying down his own life for her.

"Just hang in there, Talbot!" Nate yelled over to Talbot as he began to usher Marlowe away from the edge and towards the exit. Nate didn't really want to assist the enemy but he could sense no threat in either Talbot or Marlowe in their current situation. He felt Marlowe resist a little as he guided her to the next hallway but he just figured it was because she always wanted to be in charge- he could tell that even 20 years ago when Sullivan restrained her from beating him in the museum after stealing the decoder but right now, she had to listen to what he was telling her to do whether she liked it or not.

Sullivan reached out his hand and pulled Marlowe up onto the higher platform with Nate shortly after, for he was assisting Marlowe in getting good leverage. Talbot watched the three of them until they had left the room to make sure that Marlowe was safe. This was his reassurance and now his reason to make it out alive. He couldn't let Marlowe down.

"Okay, let's hope this holds..." he muttered to himself as he took a deep breath and eyed a few small ledges leading up to another level of the ancient building. He ran a hand through his brown locks and proceeded towards the first ledge, heaving himself towards it with a mighty leap and he grabbed onto it, using all of his strength to pull himself up securely.

Sully, Drake and Marlowe meanwhile were ascending a long, winding staircase that would take them out of the crumbling building but the sudden tremor caught them off guard and hurled all three of them to the ground. Nate looked over behind him towards the other two as he rose to his feet "You two okay?" he asked and when they both nodded, he proceeded onwards. Dust and debris was raining down all around and Nate knew that the structure would give way at any second and just as that thought crossed his mind, as if on cue, there was a loud rumble from behind him.

"Crap!" Sully was too near the collapsing bricks and lost his footing on the stairs which caused him to stumble over the edge but luckily Marlowe was clinging tightly onto his arm.

"I can't pull you in." She hissed through gritted teeth as she tried with all of her strength to haul him back onto the concrete.

Nate ran back and slid to a halt next to Marlowe, reaching down to grab Sully's other arm to help pull him back up. "C'mon Sully, you got more strength in you than that." Nate encouraged his friend as he was determined to get everyone out of the city safely. Sully knew what Nate was doing, he was convincing himself that everything was going to be okay but it was Marlowe's actions that had truly surprised him for he wasn't expecting her to even attempt to save him. As he looked up at his son-like figure and his ex-love interest, two people he had feelings for who just so happened to be enemies working together to save him, he felt a sudden surge of energy and he mustered up all of his strength to pull himself up, using various debris jutting out of the structure as foot holds. He may not be as agile as he once was but Sully wasn't too keen on the thought of plummeting to his death.

"Don't scare me like that again." Nate took a deep breath as he helped Sully back to his feet. "Now let's keep moving." After everyone had caught their breath back, Nate continued to lead everyone up the stairs.

Daylight finally broke through and the three of them surfaced. Marlowe looked around frantically for any sign of Talbot for he is her top agent and she couldn't afford to lose him. "Where the hell is he?" Marlowe muttered in her well-spoken British accent, still surveying the area for any possible route Talbot could have taken to escape. She had lost her train of thought when she felt Sully's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her towards the remains of a bridge that was slowly falling apart as the city sank. "Victor, I can't leave yet!" Marlowe was using her other hand in attempt to free herself as she was using all her force to slow Sully down.

"Damn it Kate, we don't have time for this!" Sully's angered outburst and use of Marlowe's first name was enough to stun her into silence. "We don't have time to go back for the ring, we don't have time to pick up any of the trinkets that strike your fancy and we don't have time for Talbot. If he made it out of there then he'd make it to safety but we won't know that if we don't get out of the city first!" As he finished his speech, his tone softened and he gave a gentle tug of her wrist. "Now come on, we've got a lot of running and climbing ahead... you ready?" His gaze met hers briefly and for the first time in almost 20 years he saw the emerald eyes of the Katherine he used to know.

Marlowe wasn't one to admit when others were right, especially if it was Victor Sullivan, so instead of verbally agreeing with him she merely nodded her head and let him lead her onwards. As they climbed collapsed walls, ran along broken bridges and leapt across platforms, Marlowe kept pausing briefly to look around for her right-hand man but there were still no signs of him. Escape was almost within reach as she looked ahead and saw Nate leap from their high platform and onto the sand below, scrambling up to his feet a few metres from the incline leading into the sinkhole. She watched Sully throw himself off the edge shortly after and he landed part of the way down the incline but not far enough to get sucked in. Nate pulled the older man to his feet and helped him up the hill to more firm sand at the top.

Both men turned to face the slowly sinking city, looking up at the remains of the path they were standing on moments before. "Where is she? Why isn't she jumping?" Nate asked as he took a few paces backwards and to either side to try and locate Marlowe above but to no avail. He turned his attention to Sully, who knew the woman much better "You don't think she went back for anything, do you?" Nate was concerned that she had gone back for the ring or she had a back-up plan to retrieve the brass container. He never knew what to expect from her, she was quite the spontaneous and sinister woman.

"No, Marlowe's too smart to go back for it. Sure, she wants power but she wouldn't kill herself for it." Although he didn't want to admit it, Sully was growing anxious but when he saw Marlowe stand on the edge of the slowly crumbling platform he exhaled a sigh of relief to see that she was okay. Maybe he did still have feelings for her after all these years and even after almost being killed by her men in the past few days more times than he'd like to count.

Nate inched closer to the edge, being careful not to wander into the sinking sand just a few paces in front of him. "Marlowe you have to jump now!" As he spoke, a faint sound caught his attention- the sound of a truck engine.

From one of the lower levels of the city, one of the convoy trucks drove at full speed from one of the crumbling hallways, propelled over the edge catching quite some height and then drove up the slope, swerving to a halt at the top. The door opened and Talbot ran out "Marlowe, jump!" His words sounded a little more desperate than he would have liked but while he was planning his escape Talbot had a lot of time to consider his thoughts...

The gap between the platform and safety had greatly increased and Marlowe grew more hesitant. She inched closer to the edge, looking down just to see how far it was. She looked to Nate and Sully then to Talbot and she made up her mind. To get enough speed, Marlowe took a few paces back to begin her run up and she exhaled heavily. It was all or nothing.

Bricks from the platform collapsed and fell into the quicksand, widening the distance she had to jump but Marlowe knew she had to do it now or she had no chance. She counted down in her head and began her sprint towards the edge. Just before her feet reached the final bricks teetering on the unstable structure, she hurled herself as high and far as she could. Everything around her seemed to slow down as she fell through the air and she cursed as she realised she wasn't going to make it to the top and she cursed again when she saw the large concrete slab emerge from the sand and it was nearing her at a rapid pace. She braced herself for the impact but there wasn't much she could do. Even above the sound of an entire city sinking into the desert, the crunching of a human body hitting concrete could be heard and the sound made Talbot's unsettled stomach churn. Just the thought of failure made him feel sick but to see what he just saw caused him to lean back against the truck for he felt queasy. He didn't want to lose and he most certainly didn't want to lose Marlowe.

"Oh no..." Sully muttered under his breath and he carefully eased his way down the slope to the concrete. He knew he didn't have much time before the slab was swallowed up with the rest of the city so he hurried as quickly as he could. He ran over to Marlowe who was lying on the concrete and attempting to bring herself to her feet. "Kate, take it easy. Let me help you." Sully spoke in a soft voice but still with the butch, gritty undertone that he was known for. Sully offered his hand to her and he gently wrapped his other around her waist which caused her to wince.

"Karma is a pain in the arse..." She could barely mutter the words as she managed to get to her knees. "I almost regret burning the tower in Syria." Marlowe may not be one for caring about other people but almost dying had very slightly altered her perspective. She let out a dry laugh which then turned into a hiss of agony as Sully helped her to her feet. He had applied pressure to her ribs which caused a surge of intense pain to course through her; it was more intense than all other pains in her body at that moment combined.

Talbot watched on from the truck anxiously, he was silently praying that Marlowe was still alive as from his angle it was difficult to tell until he saw her slowly rise to her feet. She was clearly weak from the fall as she staggered a few paces before collapsing against Victor.

"I know you're going to hate this but come here..." Sully picked her up carefully, resting his hands under her legs and back.

"Careful... watch the ribs!" Marlowe winced again as Sully's hand brushed against her side while he was lifting her into a comfortable position. She gently swatted his chest in a scolding manner once he had lifted her.

All that Talbot and Nate could do was wait for them both to make it up the hill and to the truck. Nate approached Talbot slowly and looked at the truck which was still in near perfect condition, considering where it was found. "I take it this was your escape plan all along? Carry the container in the back and drive off round the other side of the city." Nate was mainly theorising to himself why they had specifically kept one rather small truck in the city while all the rest were on the outskirts.

Talbot, however, wasn't paying much attention to Nate as he was watching Sully and Marlowe ascend the hill. He was nervous, he was impatient and he was... jealous? This third emotion somewhat confused Talbot, why was he jealous? Sullivan was just helping Marlowe get somewhere safe. There was nothing to be jealous about. Or perhaps, their past relationship had the Brit worried that something may spark from this ordeal. No, that wouldn't happen... Marlowe wouldn't let that happen, would she? All of these thoughts raced through Talbot's mind as he watched the city that could have been theirs slowly sink into the desert.

His wild train of thought was interrupted when he saw Sully and Marlowe reach the top of the hill. Sully carried her over to the truck and carefully set her down in the back. "I gotta take a look and see what's wrong." Sully nodded towards where Marlowe was resting her hand over her side.

"Of course..." The mature woman groaned somewhat in pain.

"I hope you don't mind if I..." Sully trailed off slightly, understanding if she had certain boundaries that he shouldn't cross but all he wanted to do was make sure her injuries weren't too serious.

"Go right ahead... it's not like anything's stopped you before." There was a slight cheek to Marlowe's tone and her lips curved into a smirk which then led Sully to awkwardly clear his throat, attempting to stay composed as past memories came flooding back. He tried to remain focussed on the task at hand as he slowly began to unbutton her blouse, exposing her toned torso and a bra which left little to the imagination. For a woman of her age she still had quite the figure. Besides the lingerie choice being quite the eye-catcher amongst all three men, no matter how much Nate wanted to deny it he did glance over once or twice, Sully had noticed a lot of dark purple bruising on the right side of Marlowe's body and this was presumably causing her so much pain. Yes, Sully may have sprained his wrist when he fell but the bruises scattering Marlowe's body only made him want to help her more.

Talbot had to excuse himself from the scene for several reasons. Firstly, he was getting a little flustered after seeing more of Marlowe's body than he ever thought he'd see. Secondly, he just wanted to leave the godforsaken desert and everything buried in it behind and thirdly, he couldn't bear to see Marlowe in such a state. Seeing her wounded as badly as she was currently just served as a reminder of how much he had failed to protect her.

Nate had noticed Talbot scurry off and he followed, curious as to why he was in such a hurry to leave. "Talbot, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine Drake..." He exhaled heavily, running a hand through his now messy hair.

"You don't look it. The heat's not getting to you is it? If you did set up base in that city then you really wouldn't last long in there." He shook his head with a light chuckle as he rested his hands on his hips.

"It's not the heat, now would you please stop being an arse?" Talbot responded in his well-spoken British accent, trying to keep calm.

"No need for name calling. What is bothering you then, you a sore loser or something?" Nate didn't mind winding people up every now and then; in fact he found it amusing at times.

"It's Marlowe, okay?" Instantly after blurting it out Talbot froze for a moment, regretting it but he knew he had to talk now. "I was just... worried that she'd, you know..." he didn't even want to finish the sentence, the thought was so unbearable.

"What's made you two so close? I mean, I saw you and you looked pretty damn worried back there."

"Having worked for Marlowe for many years and sharing in so many of the same victories and even the occasional defeat, I've felt as if I've come to know her well." Talbot paused, realising this was sounding so clichéd but he just couldn't think of any other way to explain it. "We share a lot of the same interests and ideals, Ubar clearly being one of them, and after coming so close to victory I didn't want to lose her. I'm meant to be the one protecting her and being stranded on the other side of that quicksand proved me to be a failure. I let her down after everything she's done for me." He couldn't believe he had just shared all of that with Nathan Drake of all people.

"You weren't a failure. If you made that jump, it would've been an achievement in itself!" Nate joked to try and lighten the mood.

Talbot held up a hand to silence him and she shook his head "Forget I said anything." As he walked away, he took a deep breath to control his emotions and as he pulled open the door, he called out "Okay get ready, we're leaving now." And then he hopped into the driver seat, closing the door behind him.

Before climbing into the passenger side, Nate was mocking Sully by making childish disgusted faces while he was looking after Marlowe. "She's not in any immediate danger but we should get her to a hospital so they can provide her with proper medical care." Nate informed Talbot when he sat down in his seat but Talbot was trying to focus on driving. In all honesty, he didn't really know which way would lead them to any sort of city so he just decided to drive straight, hoping no one else figured out that he had no idea what he was doing.

Meanwhile, in the back of the truck Sully and Marlowe were sitting on opposite sides and idly chatting to pass the time and also to hopefully distract her from the pain she had been enduring in the right side of her body.

"Twenty years of searching and for this... what are you going to do when you get back to London?" Sully absentmindedly asked upon noticing how pissed off and somewhat heartbroken Marlowe seemed.

"Why Victor, I'm surprised you care." Marlowe had a bittersweet tone to her voice. She was remaining composed to conceal how angered she truly was.

"Well I'm just making conversation." He shrugged his shoulders in response, casually flexing his wrist every now and then to see how much pain he was truly in.

"I'll be going back into collecting and artefact dealing and such. Don't worry; I'm not after anything else your precious boy has and if our paths do happen to cross again in the future then... so be it." Marlowe shifted slightly to rest her back against the truck and all casualness to her demeanour had faded when a sudden intense pain shot through her body. "Damn..."

"Woah, careful. You don't want to do any further damage." Sully moved over to her side of the truck and sat next to her, carefully examining her again.

"Admiring my underwear, _Mr_ Sullivan?" Of course Marlowe had no shame for she was a very confident woman and things like this didn't faze her.

"You never change do you?" He shook his head with a light chuckle but his eyes did wander to her lingerie just for a moment, seeing as she implied it. "...And it looks good on you."

"You always thought so. The less I wore, the more pleased you were." Marlowe began to refasten the buttons on her blouse after Sully had looked at the bruising and cleaned some of the cuts again.

"Yeah..." His smile soon faded as a thought occurred to him and he did debate about whether he should bring it up for a moment but he decided to anyway. "Did you move on from... that?" He knew that she knew what he was referring to straight away- she was a smart woman.

Marlowe didn't make direct eye contact as she nodded her head in response "Did you...?" Her eyes glanced up to look into his and see his answer.

"It took time... and I don't know about you but this whole Ubar ordeal has resurfaced some old wounds that I really hoped it wouldn't." Sully rested his hands in his lap, trying to appear rather casual although their conversation was quite a serious matter.

"I... I _suppose_ it has for me too." Marlowe made sure to put extra emphasis on the word 'suppose' but in a subtle way.

"What about you now, is there someone?" Sully, being the man that he is, was always the one to ask the personal questions.

"What makes you think there is?" Marlowe tilted her head slightly as she looked at her ex. She was always enigmatic and mysterious and she always knew how to play with others' emotions.

"Well, I mean there's Talbot for one. I don't quite know what there is between you two but when I see him with you, I see what we had twenty years ago only, you don't know it yet." As he mentioned her right-hand man, Sully glanced to the front of the truck and thankfully they could not be heard through the small window.

"Talbot? Victor... do you honestly think I would start seeing one of my own agents? I have class, you know." Marlowe rolled her shoulders back and presented herself proudly to prove her point.

"I'm just saying you might have seen it if you paid close enough attention. He's better for you than I was. After what happened in Colombia, our ideals became divided and what we had ended because of it." Sully's tone had changed and he spoke sternly. He was struggling to find words to say for he did still have feelings for Marlowe, they may not be as strong as they were twenty years ago but he wouldn't say no to the possibility of getting back together. He just saw something better and decided to intervene, as he normally does. "Talbot's a good match for you, he's smart, calculating, loyal and he'd sacrifice his own life for you, Kate." Marlowe was only addressed to by her first name under certain circumstances and Sully was one of the few people that she didn't mind too much using her given name, although it still came as a shock to her whenever he did.

"Hang on. How do you know all of this?" Marlowe's eyes narrowed as she became curious.

"Nate spoke to Talbot earlier and then he told me before he got in the truck... He can be subtle too, you know." Sully offered a small, joking smile to hopefully make Marlowe seem less angered that he was meddling in her life.

"I thought he was just messing around like the child he still is." Marlowe folded her arms in deep thought, amazed that she didn't realise what Nate was up to.

Sully rose to his feet and stretched his legs. "Right shift change, I call shotgun!" He tapped on the separator and announced through the window loud enough for Talbot and Nate to hear.

"You bored in there Sully?" Nate chuckled teasingly.

"Bored as hell, you drive kid and I'll tell ya' everything you're doing wrong for the next couple hours, it'll be fun. " As the two were chatting through the window, Talbot slowed the truck down and everyone swapped places, bar Marlowe so now Nate was driving with Sully in the passenger seat and Talbot had joined Marlowe in the back.

"Let's see if I can get us to civilisation before you make me lose it." Nate resumed driving as the sun slowly started to set in the distance. "And, if necessary, you can have graveyard shift Sully." It felt good to have Sully's company again as Nate didn't really have much to discuss with Talbot apart from all of their little scraps over the past few days, other than that they had nothing of common interest.

Neither Marlowe nor Talbot were completely clueless as to what Sully had planned on doing for they were both very skilled at understanding human psychology and behaviour, also given Marlowe's track record with Sully she could tell when he was up to something. Talbot however, was caught off guard but he instantly knew what this was about and also Nate's innocent grin gave it away and he figured that he must've told Sully.

Talbot glanced at the little window at the far end of the truck to make sure that Nate and Sully were focussed on driving. "How are you feeling, Marlowe?" He inquired, as any man would do and to just strike up a conversation with her.

"Like hell chewed me up and spat me back out." Marlowe winced again as she shifted in attempt to get comfortable for the night. She had attempted to lay on her side to not apply pressure to the wound on her other side but she had a rather large cut on her leg which prevented her from lying in that position. She was struggling to find comfort in the back of a truck- which was understandable even if she was perfectly fine. It was also getting colder as the sun set which meant that the breeze whistling through the back door of the truck would be a lot cooler as well.

Talbot could see that Marlowe was struggling and so he offered her his jacket. "Here, it gets quite cold at night. You need to keep your strength up until we reach a hospital, which means staying warm." He sat down beside her and glanced outside, it was almost complete nightfall now and he mentally cursed the designer of the truck for making the back door only a half door.

"Hey. No giving me orders, wise-arse." Marlowe's voice was weak, she was clearly tired but she still managed a small smile. "And you need to watch yourself as well. I'm not having you falling ill on me after everything we've been through to get to here."

"I'll be fine. You need it more and it is my job to protect you, please let me help..." Talbot didn't make eye contact with her, he felt too ashamed to. This was his first attempt at redemption for letting her down earlier.

"Talbot." Marlowe spoke in her more familiar stern voice which eventually made Talbot look her way. "Is this about what happened in Ubar? There was nothing you could possibly do so you can't blame yourself for anything... But you did take a bloody long time finding an alternate route out and if you dare have me worry like that again then I won't hesitate to make you suffer for it." The corners of her lips tugged into a sly smirk, Marlowe definitely had a playful side but it was quite a rare sight as she was normally too engrossed in some other task or artefact to care.

"I'll try to be more careful in the future." Talbot nodded his head once and he was trying to suppress the smile he felt was imminent after finding out that Marlowe wasn't disappointed in him. He gently draped his jacket over Marlowe to protect her from the cool night breeze.

"Come here, you." Marlowe gestured for Talbot to sit next to her as she shifted a little further from the door so the breeze wasn't as intense. Talbot complied and he sat next to her, resting his back against the side of the truck. He tilted his head back and exhaled heavily, he was tired after the day he had had trekking through the desert. "You need to rest; you've had a long day." Marlowe looked up at him, gently combing her fingers through his hair as she curled up slightly.

"Marlowe... I'm fine." His shoulders dropped as he relaxed and tilted his head slightly to the side, into her touch.

"You've been working yourself too hard, you're only human and you need to rest just like the rest of us." Marlowe gently eased Talbot's head to rest on her shoulder to encourage him to relax for a few hours while the desert was quiet.

Although he did comply, Talbot was too preoccupied to close his eyes and sleep. The reason he had been working himself stupid over the past few weeks was to impress her. If they made it to Ubar he knew she would be pleased, and she was. If they succeeded then she would have achieved what she had been intending on achieving for so long and he was determined to help her achieve that goal, no matter who or what stood in their way. "I... I'm sorry I failed you, Katherine." Talbot muttered as he slowly took hold of Marlowe's hand resting on her leg.

The use of her given name somewhat surprised her for Marlowe had never heard Talbot say those syllables before and that's when she knew he was serious. "Talbot..." She was about to scold him again but her expression softened as he took hold of her hand.

"I'm sorry things didn't go to plan in Ubar and I'm sorry that I failed to protect you..." His eyes fell to Marlowe's side and he very gently trailed his other hand down her body, being careful not to inflict any further pain.

"Listen to me. I can always count on you, Talbot. Yes, there were mishaps but even the mighty must fall at some point. It wasn't your fault." Marlowe wasn't one to comfort others, she never felt they deserved it but she could see that Talbot was mentally kicking himself and she hated seeing negativity amongst her men, especially Talbot.

"I feel that it is... seeing you hurt is just proving how much I failed to look after you. For a moment earlier, I was scared..." Talbot couldn't finish his sentence. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, giving Marlowe's hand a gentle squeeze as he gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Looks like we're even then... You gave me quite a scare as well." Marlowe spoke in a soft tone, tilting her head to rest against Talbot's as she does so. Her hand that was behind Talbot's head was still running through his hair and her tender caress slowly began to sooth him.

Talbot knew that it took a lot to scare Marlowe but he didn't know that she had a special attachment to him which made her worry even more. "I'm sorry I scared you... But I'd do anything to keep you safe." Slowly and hesitantly, Talbot draped his other arm around Marlowe from behind, wrapping it around her waist and he pulled her a little closer. "Now get some rest, you need it." He shifted slightly to act as a pillow for Marlowe as she rested her head against his chest.

"Talbot..." Marlowe tilted her head up to look at him, resting her hand on his cheek. She looked into his dark brown eyes which contrasted with her own shining green eyes as she leaned closer to him until their lips met. It was a chaste kiss but the way Marlowe dominated the brief moment had surprised Talbot even more so than the kiss itself, which surprised him quite a lot to say the least. As their lips slowly parted, Marlowe muttered "Thank you" as she gently caressed the younger man's cheek.

"You don't need to thank me, Marlowe..." As she shifted and rested her head against his chest Talbot pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, feeling a little more confident now. He held her a little closer to him to protect her in the way that he failed to earlier. He looked down at her curled up at his side and it pained him to see her in such a state, they were so close to their goal and he couldn't help but feel responsible for it all going wrong. With a heavy sigh, he rested his head against hers as he gently caressed her side with his thumb as he held her, almost fearing of letting go.

As the night very slowly progressed, Talbot was resisting the urge to sleep for he wanted to keep Marlowe safe and he didn't want to accidentally lean against her bruises or cause her any other sort of pain. He used the excuse of Nate and Sully creating noise whilst switching seats in the front to keep himself awake for longer but even after a certain amount of time, Talbot just couldn't stay alert and he slowly drifted off to sleep in the back of the truck.

"All right everybody, wake up!" Sully called out as the sun began to rise the next morning. "We're here!" He added as he glanced around to see everyone's tired and confused expressions, which was quite amusing.

"Is there a hospital here so we can get Marlowe seen to?" Talbot looked up so he could see out of the windscreen. They were driving through a market of sorts, similar to the streets in Yemen where Nate had pursued him. Just the thought of that made him feel tired again.

"The signs we passed when I drove in here said there was some sort of medical care here but it's not in English so we'll see when I drive up there..." Sully responded as he continued driving at a slow pace through the market.

"How are you doing, Marlowe?" Nate glanced at the two in the back of the truck.

"Just fine..." She was being sarcastic but was cut off as she winced a little while she shifted into a sitting position, still leaning against Talbot who was surprisingly rather comfortable.

As they arrived at the hospital, Talbot carefully helped Marlowe out of the truck and into the building. She was escorted to a doctor who checked her over and tended to her cuts. Luckily she didn't need any stitches, despite the cut on her leg looking quite severe. Marlowe sat quietly while the doctor cleaned up the blood that had dripped down her leg. She was deeply thinking about the events of the past few days and she was silently cursing herself for all of the mistakes that ultimately led to the fall of the city.

"I'll go and let your friends know that you're okay." The doctor smiled and washed his hands after he had finished cleaning Marlowe's wounds. "Just make yourself comfortable."

"I'll make good attempt of it." She muttered before he left the room. Marlowe really didn't want to sit around here any longer; all she wanted was to get back to her manor in England and move on. This goal was a failure and she didn't want to dwell on it by staying in the country.

After a few moments of silent brooding, Marlowe was accompanied by Talbot. "The doctor said that you have to stay overnight, are you all right?" Talbot asked as he approached Marlowe who was sitting on the bed looking less than pleased. He grew concerned as he assumed her injuries were worse than expected and the guilt he was feeling deep down only amplified his worries.

"Yes, yes I'm fine..." Marlowe waved a dismissive hand as she exhaled heavily. "I've dealt with much worse before." She paused for a moment and glanced around the room. "Where are Drake and Sullivan?"

"I told them they could head to the airport and leave. I figured they didn't really need to stay... unless you wanted them to?" Talbot looked at his boss curiously, he wasn't sure if he made a good call or not. In all honesty, he just wanted to spend some time alone with Marlowe before they got back to England.

"No... Now that I've lost Francis' ring, I have no interest in them." Marlowe's voice was cold, as if she was still brooding on their loss in Ubar. "What they do is up to them and if we meet again then it will be pure coincidence. I would just rather get back to England as soon as possible, quite frankly." She was still as composed as ever although Talbot could sense how annoyed she truly was. He knows how much she hates losing and Ubar was a great loss indeed.

"As do I... we'll get the first plane out of here in the morning and when we finally return to the manor, I'll make you the best cup of tea you've ever had." Talbot attempted to be more light-hearted at the end of his statement to cheer Marlowe up. Seeing her so disappointed always struck a nerve and he felt compelled to fix it.

"Talbot, you've always been so loyal to me and..." Marlowe sighed as she tried to think of the right words to say. She reached over and gently placed her hand on top of his. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm proud to have you by my side."

"And I'll always be right here..." As he spoke, he shifted a little closer to her and turned his hand so that he was holding hers. He looked down and watched as their fingers interlocked, this small gesture was enough to bring out a smile from Talbot. He slowly lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it delicately. He had been waiting a long time to even remotely express his affections for Marlowe but it was definitely worth it.

And since then, they'd slip a small gesture every now and then to communicate their attachment to each other without arousing suspicion amongst the other agents. Talbot was sure Marlowe needed some persuading before she committed to their relationship and finally became more open about it but she was always so calm, composed and enigmatic that it was difficult to tell exactly what she felt for him. However, as they became more intimate with each other, he definitely knew how she felt and as many months passed, he knew what the next step was.

"Katherine Marlowe, will you marry me?"


End file.
